How to Set Up an Amish Wedding Meal

Following an Amish wedding ceremony, guests traditionally join the bride and groom for good conversation and hearty, home-cooked food.

Things You'll Need

• Chairs
• Tables
• Bread Stuffings
• Breads
• Butter
• Cherry Pies
• Chicken
• Cold Cuts
• Macaroni And Cheese
• Potatoes
• Tapioca Pudding
• Utensils

Instructions

1. Expect women to get ready to serve the meal right after the ceremony.

2. Ask men to set up the tables for eating in the living room.

3. Understand that the guests may have to be seated in two or more shifts if there is not enough room to accommodate them all together.

4. Reserve a corner table for the bride and groom and their wedding party. This is called the eck, or corner.

5. Arrange for the bride to sit on the groom's left, the same way they will sit as man and wife in the horse and buggy (which the Amish use instead of a car).

6. Plan for the single women to sit on the same side of the table as the bride, and the single men on the same side as the groom.

7. Seat the bride's and groom's immediate families at a long table in the kitchen.

8. Prepare two full meals - one for midday dinner and one for the evening.

9. Serve foods like roast chicken with bread stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, creamed celery, tapioca pudding, cherry pie, and bread and butter at the first meal.

10. Offer lighter options, such as stewed chicken, macaroni and cheese, and cold cuts, the second time around.

Tips & Warnings

• For the second meal, move the bride's parents to the head table and serve them before the other guests.